If you want to do a thorough search of the literature on a topic, the best way to do this is to use a database.
A database indexes journals and other sources of information, meaning you may search across all these indexed sources at once. Databases are not always easy to use. You will receive training during your course but you can get in touch with your Subject Librarian at any time if you require assistance.
There are lots of different databases, with different topic coverage. Below are some of the resources that are particularly useful for Medical students.
International literature on biomedicine, including the allied health fields and the biological and physical sciences, humanities, and information science as they relate to medicine and health care.
A database of articles published in the fields of medicine, biomedical science and related areas. It is particularly good for pharmacology and associated subjects.
Systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare which includes the following databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Cochrane Clinical Answers (CCAs), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Please note: to access off campus, select 'Sign in', 'Institutional login' and then choose 'University of Bristol'.
Tool for studying human anatomy through three-dimensional means. Includes images of real, dissected human anatomical specimens, and encompasses the upper limb, lower limb, trunk, head and neck, and internal organs. Please note: users can set up a personal account once logged in - but need to access the account every 60 days to ensure it remains active.
Search the world’s leading scholarly journals, books, and proceedings in the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
Includes: Science Citation Index; Social sciences Citation Index; Arts and Humanities Citation Index; Arts and Humanities Citation Index; Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science; Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Social Science & Humanities.
International database covering summaries of journal articles, book chapters, technical reports and citations to dissertations in the field of Psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines.
CINAHL includes journal articles, books, dissertations, conference proceedings and standards of practice related to nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health and allied health disciplines.
Database of complementary medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, rehabilitation, podiatry, and palliative care.
A database of evidence-based healthcare systematic reviews maintained by the Epistemonikos foundation.
Scopus includes references to journal articles, conference proceedings and books relating to science, technology, medicine, social sciences and arts & humanities.
Interactive, easy-to-use 3D anatomy and biology content. Please note: you need to register with your UoB email address to access this site.
Regional database from the World Health Organisation (WHO) providing access to biomedical and public health literature produced by and within low-middle income countries.
African journal literature originating from a wide base of publishers and societies on the African continent.
Please note: full text downloads of patents is temporarily suspended from April 2023.This is due to Cybersecurity Administration of China (CAC) imposing new oversight requirements on specific content types appearing in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI)
China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), is a database of Chinese knowledge-based information resources. This platform covers journals, theses, proceedings, newspapers, books and ancient books.
Please note: before accessing full text pdfs, you should ensure that you have the Simplified Chinese Font Pack for Adobe Acrobat Reader.
The Global Index Medicus (GIM) provides access to biomedical and public health literature produced by and within low-middle income countries. It is produced by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Regional Index Medici are available: African Index Medicus (AIM), Index Medicus for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (IMEMR), Index Medicus for the South-East Asia Region (IMSEAR), Latin America and the Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS), Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRO).
A collection of platforms for journals from a range of locations including African Journals Online, Bangladesh Journals Online, Cetnral America Journals Online, Mongolia Journals Online, Nepal Journals Online Philippines Journals Online, Sri Lanka Journals Online and Vietnam Journals Online.
J-STAGE is a platform for scholarly publications in Japan. It is developed and managed by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST).
Regional content from scholarly journals in South Korea.
LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature) database.
Science, social science, and arts and humanities research in published in open access journals from Latin America, Spain, Portugal, the Caribbean and South Africa.
Your Subject Librarian will provide a programme of lectures and training on library and information skills, in consultation with your Department or School.
A number of guides to searching key databases are available on Blackboard. Your Subject Librarian is also able to give help and advice about individual databases and searching in general.
Contact richard.kielb@bristol.ac.uk if you have any questions about making use of the medical databases.
Help and advice on accessing the Library's resources both on and off-site.
Browzine is a website/app that allows you to browse, read and keep up-to-date with the key journals in your subject field on your PC, smartphone or Tablet. The website hosts thousands of the University of Bristol's subscribed scholarly journals, plus a large range of open access titles, generally with access going back to 2005. You can:
To get started, click on the Browzine link above and you will be prompted to 'Choose my Library' (if you are already logged in elsewhere as a UoB member you may be automatically recognised):